Calgary's newest, fastest STARS chopper transferred to Edmonton

STARS Air Ambulance’s newest, fleetest helicopter has been shifted from Calgary to Edmonton to cut costs and safety risks, the service said Tuesday.

The AW-139 helicopter has been transferred north so the Calgary operation can be equipped with two older BK-117 choppers.

It makes for a simpler, less-expensive consolidation, said Scott Young, pilot and STARS vice-president of aviation.

“We knew when we purchased those aircraft it would be complicated to run the different ones at the same time,” he said. “The operating and maintenance costs by having them at our Edmonton base saves us money.”

It’s a move that should save STARS more than $500,000 a year, said Young.

The $16 million AW-139, which was purchased three to four years ago, is 50 km/h faster than the BK-117.

But Young said the move won’t compromise patient care and safety in southern Alberta.

“The BK-117 is an excellent aircraft — we’re confident this won’t harm safety in any way,” he said, adding the simplicity of having a homogeneous fleet in Calgary should enhance safety.

Eventually, Edmonton’s STARS chopper fleet — based at the service’s main training centre — will be consolidated the same way, he added.

The move comes at a time when STARS’ fundraising efforts are feeling the pinch from the two-year economic downturn, said Young.

STARS “had to ask for a little bit of help” to put its recent lottery effort over the top, he said.

“We’re feeling the economic crunch like everyone else and we’re down a little bit, but our donors are extraordinarily generous,” said Young.

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